Mark Cuban thinks the NBA would be wise to raise the minimum age for NBA players, but Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW opines it would be hard to justify to NCAA athletes that they need to wait to make their millions while athletes in other sports like golf can enter the pro circuit upon turning 18. Here’s the latest on a pair of senior prospects who have waited four years to enter the NBA draft by choice, not by rule:

Russ Smith’s draft stock is rising, but he still has a long way to go, writes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. One Western Conference executive is wary of Smith because he doesn’t think Smith is the type of guard who makes his teammates better.

Another executive told Mannix that any comparisons of Smith to Nate Robinson are inaccurate since Robinson is much more athletic. “The guys that are small combo guards that make it work… are few and far between,” said the executive. “It takes a really special guy to be a small spark plug off the bench, and I don’t see it in [Smith].“

Creighton’s Doug McDermott is another player with a rising draft stock. The 6’8″ forward is one of the most efficient college scorers in recent memory, but his questionable defense is leaving some executives unsure about his potential to succeed at the next level. Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com have the details in the latest Insider piece,

Pelton and Ford see the Grizzlies as the best landing spot for McDermott. They suggest that should Zach Randolph leave, the defensive-minded duo of Marc Gasol and Kosta Koufos would be able to lock down the paint on defense while McDermott stretches the floor with his shooting. Pelton notes the Magic had a similar setup in Orlando with Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard.